H. E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR,


 President and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces,


Federal Republic of Nigeria,


Presidential Villa


State House,


Abuja.


 


Your Excellency,


AN URGENT APPEAL FOR THE INAUGURATION OF THE ALREADY SCREENED AND CONFIRMED BOARD MEMBERS OF NIGER-DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (NDDC).


we, the National Executive Council of Ukoko r’ Okugbe r’ Ighelle r’ Urhobo (Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth Wing), on behalf of the entire Urhobo Youth worldwide, respectfully appeal to you for urgent inauguration of the already screened and confirmed members of the Governing Board of Niger-delta Development Commission (NDDC), to return the Commission to the path of  peace, lawfulness, practical reality, broad representation, checks and balances, probity, equity, transparency and accountability for the development the Niger-Delta region.


In exercise of your constitutional powers, and in accordance with the provision of Section 2(2)(a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Establishment Act 2000, on the 18th of October, 2019. You personally wrote and signed a letter to seek the Senate’s confirmation of Dr Pius Odubu, former Edo State Deputy Governor as chairman of the NDDC, Chief Bernard Okumagba as Managing Director and 14 others as members of its board. The Senate screened and confirmed the appointments of 15 out of the 16 nominees on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, based on the report presented before it by the Committee on Niger Delta.


Your earlier resort to an Interim Management Committee and now a sole administrator, instead of a governing board, has heightened provocations and tensions in the Niger-Delta region. This is not healthy, particularly given the strategic and important place the Niger-Delta occupies in national economy and development of Nigeria; therefore, we, the Urhobo youth, urge you to have a rethink , soft-pedal your decision and completely ignore the ill-advise  to continue running NDDC with Interim Managements or inaugurate new Board members as against the already screened and confirmed members of the Board of Niger-Delta Development Commission. Such deliberate ill-advise or calls are against the wills, the aspirations and the expectations of majority of the Niger-Delta people, and it will amount to clear mockery of the Niger-Deltans. This will alienate the people, trigger disagreements, promote corruption and worsen the unearthly condition that is crippling the NDDC and impeding the development of the Niger-delta area.


Since October 2019, the NDDC has had three Interim Management teams; the first was headed by Joi Nunieh, the second by Prof Daniel Pondei, and the third by Effiong Okon Akwa, the current Interim Sole Administrator. Since the running of the NDDC from an Interim Caretaker Committee to an interim sole administrator, the NDDC lacks complete Niger-Delta stakeholders input in the running of its affairs, this is one of the major reasons we, the Niger-Deltans feel short changed and worrisome, because the opportunity for all the Niger-Delta States to be represented in the board of the NDDC as stipulated in the Commission’s Act has been unlawfully put aside, thereby constituting unlawful situation, the abuse of due processes and abuse of the NDDC funds. This is against the NDDC Act and the purpose NDDC was established.


Your Excellency, it is crystal clear that the NDDC has become a platform for looting and plundering by imprudent, fastidious and incredulous politicians and others. These are very detrimental, unproductive and worsen the already worsened situation in the NDDC and Niger-Delta region. If this seeming injustice of running NDDC with interim managements and the delay of inaugurating the already screened and confirmed Governing Board members of the NDDC continues, Urhobo youth have no option than to resist this unlawful act by shutting down the NDDC Office and all oil facilities, including crude oil exploration and exploitation activities in the Niger-Delta region because we, the Urhobo people can no longer continue in this unlawful situation. The abuse of due processes, the abuse of the NDDC funds and the abuse of the Niger-Deltans must stop. Niger-Delta region is too big and too rich for a few persons to be gambling with. Our future is at the verge of collapsing and if we, Niger-Deltans, must move forward for a better and secure future, we must put every other thing aside, come out of the wood and take remarkable practical actions now or never.


The call for urgent inauguration of a substantive Board cannot be overemphasized at a critical time like this when we, the youths of the Niger-delta have become very conscious of the unimaginable neglect and underdevelopment of the region and have come to understand that the only true solution is to inaugurate the already screened and confirmed substantive Board members in line with the NDDC Act. One of the core mandates of the Commission is to train and educate the youths of the oil rich Niger-Delta region to curb hostilities and militancy, while developing key infrastructure to promote diversification and productivity. Majority of Niger-Deltans strongly believe that your listed nominees for appointment into the NDDC board, led by Dr Pius Odubu, former Edo State Deputy Governor as chairman of the NDDC, Chief Bernard Okumagba as Managing Director and 14 others as members of its board, irrespective of the mismanagement of NDDC in the past, can initiate, manage and implement rapid transformation of the region within a given time.


 


 


Your Excellency, it is very imperative we let you know also that the compliance with the provisions of the NDDC funds have not been met and the trends of non-compliance being apparently exacerbated by the fact that the NDDC has no statutory powers to compel the prompt release of funds accruing to it or otherwise impose penalties for non-compliance is a serious threat to the future of the Commission and the Niger-Delta region. Since its establishment by the NDDC Act, the NDDC has received some criticisms particularly with respect to its funding and projects. The NDDC’s operations are funded from multiple sources in regards to section 14(2)(a) of the NDDC Act, which obligates the Federal Government to remit to the NDDC a sum equivalent to 15 per cent of the total monthly statutory allocation due to the NDDC member states from the Federation Account. Sections 14(2)(b) and(c)also provide for the remittance, to the NDDC, of 3 per cent of the total annual budget of oil producing and gas processing companies operating in the Niger-Delta area and 50 per cent of monies due to NDDC member-states from the ecological fund. Therefore, Mr. President, after the inauguration of the said board, please take concern for a reformation of the NDDC Act with a view to primarily strengthening its provisions to ensure the prompt remittance of funds that the Commission is statutorily entitled to, and as well as imposing penalties for delay or default, among other things.


Your Excellency, dialogue is far better than confrontation. There is no better time for you to put a substantive Board in place to manage the NDDC than now, and any action contrary to the demands of the Niger-Deltans now will jeopardize the peace currently enjoyed in the Niger-Delta region. Therefore, we, the Urhobo youth want to state in clear terms again to appeal to you, if this seeming injustice of running NDDC with interim managements and the delay of inaugurating the already screened and confirmed Governing Board members of the NDDC led by Dr Pius Odubu, former Edo State Deputy Governor as chairman of the NDDC, Chief Bernard Okumagba as Managing Director and 14 others as members of  the board continue,  the entire Urhobo youth worldwide, will have no option than to resist this unlawful act by shutting down the NDDC office  and all oil facilities, including crude oil exploration and exploitation activities in the Niger-Delta region.


Thank you in advance.


Yours faithfully,


 


______________________________                               ____________________________


COMR. DURU, NIXON UFUOMA.                                 COMR. DARAH, SANE PETER.


(President, UPU Youth Wing. Worldwide)                  (Secretary, UPU Youth Wing. Worldwide)


 


Copied:


The President of the Senate,


The Speaker of the House of Representatives,


The Governor of Delta state,


The British High Commissioner to Nigeria,


The United States ambassador to Nigeria.

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